Florida 6th grader charged for making mass shooting threats on Snapchat

FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – A parent of one of the students found the messages, after it was sent to their child, and reported them to the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies said they found multiple messages referencing killing people and shooting up the school. 

During questioning with deputies, the student “referenced” plans to conduct a mass shooting at Indian Trails Middle School but said they needed to gather supplies first. The child allegedly convinced their parent to purchase them a pair of football gloves and had contacted another student about getting a gun, deputies said. 

“Threats such as these are not a joke and will always be taken seriously,” Sheriff Rick Staly said. “We don’t like making these arrests, but we will come knocking on your door if your child makes any threat to harm someone. Thank you to the parent who found messages on their child’s phone and then reported it to us so we could take swift action to prevent an incident from occurring within Flagler County Schools. I also hope this child gets the mental health help that is obviously needed.”

The child was arrested and taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice without incident. 

The sheriff’s office is urging parents to talk to their students about the consequences of sending threats to commit violence.